Nov 7 Day 23, Options Day 3

Today was our third and last day at the Technion, and we had a busy schedule ahead of us. Waking up bright and early, we promptly got ready to leave our hotel and for the last time travel to the Technion. Wasting no time, we went straight to our first lecture which was on the topic of entrepreneurship. This is a topic that interested the large majority of us, as we are all buzzing tech enthusiasts with innovative and new ideas. Watching some entrepreneurs pitch their ideas and analysing the structure of the pitch was a great learning experience for us. We learnt that you may have a brilliant idea, but no one is going to listen to you if you cannot pitch it well to a crowd of potential investors. The session finished by presenting our own pitches for our new product ideas that we had discussed and come up with the day before in groups. Now it was our turn to pitch our product to the rest of the group. Standing up in front of a large group of people can sometimes be nerve racking, but everyone did a great job and should be proud of their efforts. From delivery and surveillance 3D printed drones to fruit vending machines, we all had great ideas.

Next followed lunch; I could easily get used to the food here - being able to order a shwarma from the comfort of the campus is something dreams, or at least my dreams, are made of. We had time to relax from our tight businessman like schedule before we set off to Tel Aviv.

Israel is known as the startup nation, having so many startup companies and we would not miss the chance to go visit one. Technion managed to organise a visit to Wix for us 21 students! Wix is a website builder and is one of the more successful start up companies in Israel, now worth over $100 million. We arrived in the Wix building in Port Tel Aviv and noticed that it was a very 'chilled' environment - finding out that all the employees get to choose their own desk, computer and chair. We proceeded to their conference room which clearly wasn't meant to hold 21 students, but was nice nevertheless. The Vice President of Product, Reuven Sherwin, kindly gave up his time to come speak to us. He explained their business model and how the company got to where it was. He openly answered all our inquisitive questions and was very friendly. He proceeded to show us up to the roof of the office which overlooked the Port where we all photographed the sunset and wrapped up our incredible couple of days.

What an eye opening experience it has been for me! The experiences that we had were ones that we would not have been able anywhere else then in Israel. We had the most amazing three days all thanks to the Technion!

Technion Day 3 By Ryan Lonstein

Today was our third and last day at the Technion, and we had a busy schedule ahead of us. Waking up bright and early, we promptly got ready to leave our hotel and for the last time travel to the Technion. Wasting no time, we went straight to our first lecture which was on the topic of entrepreneurship. This is a topic that interested the large majority of us, as we are all buzzing tech enthusiasts with innovative and new ideas. Watching some entrepreneurs pitch their ideas and analysing the structure of the pitch was a great learning experience for us. We learnt that you may have a brilliant idea, but no one is going to listen to you if you cannot pitch it well to a crowd of potential investors. The session finished by presenting our own pitches for our new product ideas that we had discussed and come up with the day before in groups. Now it was our turn to pitch our product to the rest of the group. Standing up in front of a large group of people can sometimes be nerve racking, but everyone did a great job and should be proud of their efforts. From delivery and surveillance 3D printed drones to fruit vending machines, we all had great ideas.

Next followed lunch; I could easily get used to the food here - being able to order a shwarma from the comfort of the campus is something dreams, or at least my dreams, are made of. We had time to relax from our tight businessman like schedule before we set off to Tel Aviv.

Israel is known as the startup nation, having so many startup companies and we would not miss the chance to go visit one. Technion managed to organise a visit to Wix for us 21 students! Wix is a website builder and is one of the more successful start up companies in Israel, now worth over $100 million. We arrived in the Wix building in Port Tel Aviv and noticed that it was a very 'chilled' environment - finding out that all the employees get to choose their own desk, computer and chair. We proceeded to their conference room which clearly wasn't meant to hold 21 students, but was nice nevertheless. The Vice President of Product, Reuven Sherwin, kindly gave up his time to come speak to us. He explained their business model and how the company got to where it was. He openly answered all our inquisitive questions and was very friendly. He proceeded to show us up to the roof of the office which overlooked the Port where we all photographed the sunset and wrapped up our incredible couple of days.

What an eye opening experience it has been for me! The experiences that we had were ones that we would not have been able anywhere else then in Israel. We had the most amazing three days all thanks to the Technion!

Volunteering Day 3 - By Tali Paikin

After 3 meaningful and special days spent at the Emunah Centre it was time to say goodbye. We wanted to leave a mark in the centre, just like the kids left one in our hearts. We ran over to the shops while they were at school and gathered sweets and chocolates. We individually packaged them with a personalised card wishing them a happy Chanukah and luck for their upcoming concert, which they had enthusiastically been working on. We were lucky enough to watch them rehearse for their big show and we even helped them prepare. As we all pulled out our hair dryers and straighteners, the girls waited patiently and anxiously to get their hair done by our beauty team. Once we had them primped and ready for their big performance, we sadly had to say good bye.

With tears in our eyes and so much gratitude in our hearts we bid the sweet children farewell thanking them for the joy and love they had given us over the past few days. Many people thought we'd be the ones on volunteering to give completely of ourselves and make an impression on the children, but we gained and learned more than we were giving. As Gabi Sher so poignantly explained whilst leaving the home, "the more one gives, the more one truly receives."

For this small group of thirteen blessed Australian teenage girls, it's fair to say that over the three days spent with the special children we received the gifts of gratitude, appreciation and most of all the love of these precious children.

After 3 meaningful and special days spent at the Emunah Centre it was time to say goodbye. We wanted to leave a mark in the centre, just like the kids left one in our hearts. We ran over to the shops while they were at school and gathered sweets and chocolates. We individually packaged them with a personalised card wishing them a happy Chanukah and luck for their upcoming concert, which they had enthusiastically been working on. We were lucky enough to watch them rehearse for their big show and we even helped them prepare. As we all pulled out our hair dryers and straighteners, the girls waited patiently and anxiously to get their hair done by our beauty team. Once we had them primped and ready for their big performance, we sadly had to say good bye.

With tears in our eyes and so much gratitude in our hearts we bid the sweet children farewell thanking them for the joy and love they had given us over the past few days. Many people thought we'd be the ones on volunteering to give completely of ourselves and make an impression on the children, but we gained and learned more than we were giving. As Gabi Sher so poignantly explained whilst leaving the home, "the more one gives, the more one truly receives."

For this small group of thirteen blessed Australian teenage girls, it's fair to say that over the three days spent with the special children we received the gifts of gratitude, appreciation and most of all the love of these precious children.